Patent FR-2,590,185-A1 proposes a process for stabilizing an emulsion. The principle consists in coating, in encapsulating the drops in a polymer film impervious to the two substances forming the emulsion, the polymer film being obtained by a polymerization reaction of the outer surface of the drops. This process is applied to water-hydrocarbon emulsions. The polymerization reaction involves a first polymerizing reagent consisting of a lipophilic monomer and a second, hydrophilic polymerizing reagent, both introduced after taking a sample of the emulsion. For further information concerning the drop encapsulation process, the reader can refer to the description of said patent.
The aforementioned patent also describes an application of its stabilization process to collection of an emulsion sample on a permanent-flow circuit, and a device for implementing these processes.
However, the emulsion stabilization process and implementation device presented in the prior art do not allow to stabilize an emulsion as it is in the flowline. In fact, according to the process and to the device of patent FR-2,590,185, the emulsion is altered upon sampling, then after encapsulation upon handling of the emulsion. The way the emulsion sample is taken from the line generates mechanical stresses and movements of the liquid which modify the size and the distribution of the drops. Then, handling of the emulsion after encapsulation leads to deteriorating the polymer film that surrounds the drops, which then tend to restart the coalescence phenomenon.